SOURCE MAGAZINE

GraduatePhotographyOnline 2017

Gaynor Barton

RhylRhyl seafront has a history of elegance and fun, decline and regeneration. In its heyday it was heaving with tourists. Traditional seaside structures, beloved by residents and tourists alike, have been removed because they fell into disrepair or burnt down. My memory of this seafront is not about geography but identity: sand as a child; lunch on the seafront as a teenager; walking through crowds; and later, my professional knowledge of working in Rhyl, a town in decline. Regeneration schemes provide new structures that sit alongside each other as uncomfortable bedfellows. Referencing the photographic style of Walker Evans, my photography questions how these projects fit into this town's social, industrial and economic life. Keeping the images simple and honest, my camera tells the story of the seafront today.